The Legend of Sir Mulder (Le Morte d'Obscurite)
by Starbuck23
Summary: One of the many intertwining lives of the characters of the X Files
1. The Beginning

Title: Le Morte D'Obscurité (The Death of Darkness): The Legends of Sir Mulder  
Author: Starbuck23  
Spoilers: none  
Setting: about 830 AD, during Arthurian times, but Arthur and the rest of his lot doesn't exist in some made up place that's supposed to be like Great Britain, but isn't.   
Disclaimer: I don't know why I even bother doing disclaimers anymore. Obviously the majority of the characters are not mine. What a waste of words...  
Notes: This is an assignment for my mythology and legend class at school. We've been studying Arthurian legend and for our final we have to write our own legend. Luckily, it can be about anything we want it to be as long as we incorporate things that Sir Thomas Malory did in his book Le Morte D'Arthur, so I'm sorry if this is a bit odd (but isn't all of my work?) but I'm doing the best I can!   
  
1. The Beginning  
From as far back as anyone could remember evil ruled the kingdom. His rule by fear and ignorance gave him absolute power over all that went on in the land. Since no one could remember his real name, he was called the Smoking Lord or the Smoking Man for there always seemed to be an ominous smoky mist around him. No one dared to defy him for fear of punishment from his dark knights who rampaged across the countryside terrorizing and pillaging castles and small villages. His castle, the largest in the kingdom, loomed menacingly over the terrain, casting a foreboding shadow over all. No one could escape feeling his evil presence.  
There was only one man who the Smoking Man had no control over and only one man who did not fear him. That man was known only as Deep Throat. He was a prophet and a wizard, though with only limited powers. The Smoking Man called upon him as his prophet and used his abilities to foresee what course history would take during the long drawn battles and wars of the evil king and if the future was unfavorable, how the Smoking Man could avoid it. No one knew why Deep Throat helped heighten the Smoking Man's power, since Deep Throat was a good man. Some speculated that he had his reasons and that they would be unveiled sooner or later. Only time would tell.  
It was a frigid winter evening when the event that would eventually change the lives of those in the Smoking Man's region occurred. The hills and trees already hid the last glimmers of the sun. The Smoking Man had called Deep Throat in to inform him of what was to happen if he invaded King Skinner's small kingdom of Quequeg the next day. Deep Throat was staring blankly into the fireplace, the light casting strange, flickering shadows over his face. The Smoking Man paced in front of the entrance of the room, keeping an eye on Deep Throat while running over different battle plans in his head. The room was very damp and chilly, the tapestries hung on the wall were very ineffective and the little fire in one of the few fireplaces in the kingdom gave little heat. Neither of the two men took notice.   
After a long interval of silence, a strange look went over Deep Throat's face. He narrowed his eyes, gazing more intently into the fire. The Smoking Man took notice and stopped pacing.   
"What is it?" he asked impatiently.  
The prophet shifted his gaze over to the dark king but remained silent.  
"Well?"  
"There is a child," began Deep Throat slowly.  
"A child is going to disrupt my plans for Quequeg and their idiotic king Skinner?" the smoking man said, knowing better than to interrupt.   
"No, there is a child, a very young child who belongs to Sir Mulder. This child will be raised to become one of the greatest knights known to this land. He will be a noble and righteous knight, full of chivalry and courage. He will quest for the truth and he will succeed. His quest for the truth will begin the crumbling of your power and reign as king and his son will sent it crashing down."  
At first, a look of surprise registered on his face, but it quickly disappeared. "Do you really believe a insignificant bantam child will destroy me?" asked the Smoking Man calmly. He turned to his squire who was posted at the door.   
"Go to the knights. Inform them that I am commanding them to ride down to the Mulder castle and kill every single person they meet; tell them to take special care to exterminate every one of the males. I want the entire castle and all of the possessions inside destroyed."  
The squire left and he turned back to Deep Throat; a rare, thin smile distorted his face.  
"The child cannot bring to me my demise if I have already brought him his."  
Deep Throat said nothing, once more looking into the flames.  
Satisfied, the Smoking Man looked out the window to see his knights riding their usual black horses and clad in black armor gallop out towards the path that would lead them to the destruction of the Mulder kin.   
"Now for that invasion tomorrow..." said the Smoking Man turning back to Deep Throat.   
But Deep Throat was already gone.  
  
One minute he had been in the Smoking Man's castle, and the next deep in the forest in the eastern side of the kingdom. Deep Throat walked a short distance to a small clearing not too far from a calm, narrow river. He then made a few preparations, checked to see if everything was set, and disappeared again.  
An instant later, Deep Throat was outside of the castle gates to the Mulder's home. Sweeping past the oblivious guards, he walked through the near deserted court, for dark was falling, and strode purposefully into the modest castle past brave knights who talked jovially with one another and pretty ladies preparing to retire for the night. Invisible to the bustling common hall of the castle, Deep Throat quickly made his way up the stone staircase in the far corner of the hall feeling the air cool as he distanced himself from the mass of people below.   
The upstairs hallway was much darker than the common hall below. Fewer torches burned with more distance between each. The pools of light engulfed by shadow created a moody atmosphere and helped keep Deep Throat hidden, it being much easier to be invisible in dark than light. Although there were a number of rooms in the hallway, Deep Throat knew exactly where find what he was looking for. He made his way to the last doorway on the east.   
It was a small chamber with just enough room for a table, two chairs, and a small bed. The bed was what most interested Deep Throat. Tucked under the covers was a small brown haired boy of about two years of age. After a moment of hesitation, Deep Throat gently picked the child up and carried him in his arms, resting the boy's head on his shoulder and covered him up with his cloak. Then he quickly made his way out of the bedroom and carefully back down the stairs.   
Descending the stairs, he heard yelling, screaming, and sounds of confusion announcing the arrival of the dark king's knights. Though they were of no threat to him, Deep Throat picked up his pace. He didn't want to stay longer than he had to.   
He finished with the stairs and had made his way down the common hall avoiding the massacre of the black knight's swords and the blood of both men and women. He was nearing the exit of the death filled castle when something stirred inside him and made him stop. Something was telling him to turn around. Go get the daughter, it said. Deep Throat turned around.  
Not too far from the entrance was Sir Krycek, the Smoking Man's head knight, standing over the unarmed and impaled body of Sir Mulder, the lord of the castle. Behind Krycek were Lady Mulder, now widowed, and her young daughter, Samantha. Lady Mulder, not wanting to leave her dead husband, was ready to stand her ground and defy Krycek, but she pushed and urged Samantha away towards the door.   
Deep Throat hurried over to the girl and enveloped her with his cloak as Krycek turned to her mother. He whispered to her to be silent and tried to turn her away, but not soon enough. Both became witnesses to the murder of Lady Mulder. Samantha Mulder stood frozen stiff in shock as she looked at the bodies of her dead parents now lying side by side.  
He moved to obscure the bodies from the girl's view and delicately pried her away from the spot on the floor she was rooted to. A second later they were in the forest, miles away from the Mulder castle, which from then on would be known as the Dolorous Castle. The girl didn't seem to notice. She stared straight ahead as if she was still staring at the corpses that were her parents. Deep Throat gently nudged her on.   
After a few long, silent minutes they came to the small clearing and the hut that Deep Throat had prepared earlier. He led the girl into the lighted and warm hut where a fire was already roaring in the pit. The hut was small, but roomy. The fire pit in the middle had a kettle from which Deep Throat poured some warm drink into a mug and handed to the girl. Two small beds were against the east wall underneath a small window where Deep Throat laid down the boy who was still sleeping. There were two tables opposite the bed, one of which had a pot, a pan, a few dishes, and silverware. Shelves lined the walls, which held enough provisions to feed two full-grown adults for a few days.   
Deep Throat, seeing that the boy was now safe in bed again and the girl coming to her senses again, moved towards the door. Samantha's head jerked towards him.   
"You're not leaving us, are you?" her small voice held a trace of a quiver. She had her mother's strength and courage. It was a trait that would be found in her brother too.  
Deep Throat put a finger to his lips and shushed her.  
Samantha gave him a forlorn look.  
"Take care, and watch after your brother," he said and vanished from the room knowing that she would, but that he would never see her alive again. 


	2. Turning Point

2. Turning Point  
The years passed by quickly. The Smoking Man continued to rule the land, keeping everyone in check by fright and lives remained quite bleak. Only the two Mulder children lived secluded from the sufferings of the kingdom in their little hut deep in the forest. Samantha learned to adapt quickly to her new life and took up her new role caring and was raising her younger brother Fox quite well. Although they had their arguments at time, the two became very, very close. Under his sister's watchful eye Fox Mulder became a kind, honest, and very charming boy, always full of spirit and searching for adventure. The latter always created a problem for Samantha, not wanting Fox to wander out to far from the hut where she couldn't keep an eye on him, the murders of her parents still fresh in her mind.   
As the two grew and got older, Samantha tried to push away her memories of that awful night, but Fox became curious, wondering why Samantha was raising him and why they didn't have parents. He had very vague memories of what life was like before in dreams and his sister always told him stories about their family and history, but she never addressed the reason why they lived the way they lived. Finally, ten years later, Samantha gave in to his endless questions.   
"It was a long time ago Fox, when everything changed," began Samantha, wondering why she was going through with telling the story.  
"I was just nine and you were so little, almost still a baby. You were only two years old. Nobody knew anything was going to happen. We had just finished with the feast. Mother was saying goodnight to a few knights and ladies and father was talking about journeying out to the next kingdom. He didn't tell us what for.   
We were just about to go upstairs to our private chambers when we heard shouting outside. We turned around and in the doorway were seven knights dressed all in black. I had heard stories about the black knights before. They belonged to the king, the dark lord. People told of how they destroyed villages and towns, killing and raiding as they went for the Smoking Man, the king. They were absolutely frightening. Panic took over the entire hall. Father, along with the rest of the good knights were in a mad rush to get to their armor but the hall was so crowded, no one could get very far. The black knights began killing anyone they came close to with their awful swords. Blood and people's entrails were splattered everywhere. Father told mother to leave the castle and told someone else to get you. It was utter chaos.   
By then, the black knights had moved away from the entrance so mother decided to go out that way. We hadn't gone far when we heard father yell. We turned around and saw him, unarmed and bleeding, facing a black knight. Father called him Sir Krycek. Father was yelling at Sir Krycek, telling him to battle like an honorable knight and wait until he was armed. But Sir Krycek was not a virtuous knight. None of the black knights were. He stuck his sword right through Father's chest.   
Mother began telling me to get out as fast as I could. I knew that she wouldn't be coming with me. She wouldn't leave when she knew that father was dead. I didn't know what to do, but she continued to push me towards the door. But all of a sudden an arm grabbed me out of thin air! I saw a cloak appear out of nowhere and it covered me. A man's voice told me to be quiet. Then I saw Sir Krycek turn to mother. It was strange though, he didn't seem to see me or the man. The man must have been a wizard of some sort and made us invisible. Anyway, mother just stood there and Sir Krycek reached out with his sword, already bloodied with father's blood, and... and he beheaded mother."   
Samantha stopped. She furiously tried wiping away the tears that were streaming down her face. After taking a moment to attempt to compose herself, she continued,  
"I don't remember much else after that. I was too shocked, I couldn't even think. What I do remember is being in the castle one minute and being in this forest the next. We did some walking until we came here to our hut. The man was already carrying you and brought us inside and told me to take care and watch you. So I did."  
There was a long silence as Fox took it all in. He hadn't shown any emotion at all during Samantha's recount of her memories. Samantha had never actually seen Fox cry, since the two began living in the hut, even as a little boy.   
"What happened to them man?" he asked when Samantha had composed herself, "and who was he?"  
"I don't know who he was," said his sister answering the latter first. "And he just disappeared. Haven't seen him since."  
"A wizard helped us out..." mused Fox.  
After that neither spoke a word about the past though both thought about it. It turned over and over in Fox's mind never leaving him alone. He could see the scenes his sister described playing in his head and almost hear the screams of fright and pain as if someone were really screaming. Though he was not aware of it at the time, in his heart he had sworn to avenge the death of his parents.   
  
Weeks passed. Samantha and Fox's simple lives went on. She continued the daily chores of cleaning, cooking and he hunting small game and gathering firewood. It was in the middle of these chores that it happened. Samantha was washing the dishes from the morning meal by the stream and Fox was out trying to get a rabbit for lunch when they came. Two black knights rode into the little clearing. The Smoking Man's black knights never rode out very deep into the forest, but times were changing. The kingdom, after years of paying high compensation to the dark lord and being subjected to the raids and pillaging by his knights had grown poorer and poorer. As people could not pay off what the Smoking Man called their "debt" to him, he became very angry. He ordered his knights to search further in the realm to find money and valuables to add to his treasury.  
When she saw the knights, Samantha dropped the pot she had been scrubbing and began backing away.   
"Halt!" the black knight on the right commanded.  
Too frightened to do anything that might provoke them, Samantha obeyed.  
"The Dark Lord is searching for willing subjects to assist in expanding his treasury," said the black knight on the left.  
"He orders you to give him two-thirds of what money and treasures you have."  
Speechless, Samantha just stood there.  
"No one has refused yet," said the black knight on the right menacingly as he drew out his sword.   
"I - I don't have anything," she stammered. "I don't own any money or keep anything of value."  
Behind his helmet, the knights narrowed their eyes.   
"You dare refuse the king and his knights?" they hissed.  
"P - please, I - I don't have anything of use to him or to you."  
The black knights looked at each other.  
  
Fox had successfully captured two rabbits for lunch. He was feeling quite pleased with himself as he made his way back to the hut. He wasn't too far from home when he had am awful sense that something terribly wrong and began to quicken his pace. Then piercing screams sliced through the air, leaving him in shock. His stomach lurched. It could only be Samantha. He broke into a sprint leaving the rabbits and his tools behind.   
When he came in sight of the humble little hut, no one could be seen. He noticed dishes scattered on the ground, some floating in the stream.   
"Samantha?" called out Fox. "Samantha?!"  
Nothing.  
Fox rushed into the hut. Everything inside had been turned over and destroyed. But it didn't register in Fox's mind. He noticed only one thing: it was empty.  
"Samantha!" called Fox again. "Samantha?!"  
He ran outside again and searched the perimeter of the hut.   
"SAM!" he cried. "SAMANTHA! WHERE ARE YOU?! SAMANTHA!"  
Scared and crying for the first time he could remember he ran into the woods calling his sister's name.   
It didn't take long for him to find the trail of blood towards the direction that Samantha had forbade Fox to go. It was towards the nearest town. Towards civilization and people. Towards the black knights, Samantha had explained.   
Fox stumbled along the trail, tears streaming silently down his face. When the trail stopped, he couldn't make a sound. At first all he saw was a body lying in the leaves, chestnut brown hair sprawled out over the ground. When he got closer he saw the cuts and bruises that covered her body. Then he saw her head.   
He dragged himself to the nearest bushes and lost his morning meal. When he had a hold of himself, he forced himself to go back to his sister's body, her corpse. As he looked at her he was reminded of the story of his parents' death, more particularly his mother's. Samantha had come to the same fate as she had.   
After standing over his sister's body for what seemed like hours, Fox realized he had to do something. He decided he would bury Samantha. He didn't want wild animals getting at her, and as much as he loved his sister, he knew that she would begin to smell atrociously in a few days' time, if not sooner. This task took him the remainder of the day. He worked non-stop until he had dug out a space long enough to fit his sister, and deep enough so that wild animals couldn't dig her up. Before he put her in her grave, he cut off a lock of her hair and tied it up with a piece of the ribbon she always wore. Wiping away his tears, he shoved the lock of hair into his pocket while trying to calm himself. He felt sick to his stomach as he half carried half dragged his sister's body into the hole. He got sick as he put her head in along with her body.   
By the time he was done burying her and had marked her grave, it was dark. Exhausted, he found his way to the stream and tried to clean the blood and dirt off himself. Completely drained of his energy, Fox collapsed next to the riverbed. As sleep descended on him, he told himself that he would avenge not only his parents' death, but also and most importantly, Samantha's. He didn't know who killed her, but he was going to find out one way or another, and he would do that by going to the nearest town. He surrendered to sleep knowing that his life had changed, for the second time in his life, forever. 


	3. The Journey to Knighthood

3. The Journey to Knighthood  
Fox awoke late the next morning wondering why he was sleeping outside near the river. He sat upright only to find his body very stiff. With the pain, the painful memories of the day before flooded back to him. Fox wouldn't let himself cry. Remembering the promise he had made himself before he fell asleep, he hauled himself up off the ground. He then stiffly made his way back to the little hut and salvaged whatever food and supplies he could find for his journey to civilization. As soon as he was set, Fox headed west, towards the site where he had found his sister and towards the rest of humanity.  
It was an extremely long walk. By nightfall, Fox was still in the woods. He made a little campfire and settled down for the night under a large oak tree. He awoke in the middle of the night feeling the presence of someone nearby. His first groggy thought was Samantha until he realized she was dead. With his half open, sleep leaden eyes, he thought he could make out a man wearing a large cloak watching over him. Fox sat up and rubbed his eyes to get a better look, but when he looked up again, the man, if he saw a man, was gone. Believing it to be a figment of his imagination, Fox went back to sleep.   
When the sun had risen again and Fox had finished his preparations he continued on his way. As he walked along he thought of how he could avenge the death of his family. Thinking about his family made him realize that he was the only Mulder still living. Samantha had told him everything about their family. She didn't want him to forget his history and who he was. Fox's wandering mind now turned to the stories she told of his father. She said that he was a valiant knight, always very loyal and noble and told of his prowess and benevolence, his justice and humility, and his courage and faith.  
As Fox thought more about his father, he realized what he had to do. Fox would have to become a knight. Only by becoming a knight would he be able to defeat and avenge his family. By becoming a knight, Fox would bring honor to his family's name once again. Quite pleased with his conclusion, Fox walked on, time seeming to slip by faster as he imagined all the noble deeds that he could do.   
It was about mid afternoon, about the time Fox was beginning to stop for a little bite to eat when he heard a very unfamiliar sound. It was the sound of someone, probably a very young girl, crying. Following the sound, Fox found himself face to face with a bedraggled girl no more than six or seven years old.   
"Hey," he said softly. "Don't cry, what's wrong?"  
Sniffling, the girl looked up but didn't say a word.  
"Don't be scared. I'm Fox, what's your name?"  
Thinking his name was a bit silly, the girl cracked a tiny smile.   
"Kate," she said softly.  
"Would you like something to eat? I was about to have lunch," Fox continued seeing how thin she was.   
Kate nodded vigorously.   
The two sat down to eat a small lunch of dry bread and some water from the stream that Fox had saved in a little flask. During their miniscule meal he learned that the black knights had visited her house and destroyed it. She and her mother, along with her brother, had been instructed by her father to hide in the woods, but she got separated from her mother and got lost. Fox remembered Samantha telling him that one of knights' most primary duties was to serve ladies in distress. This was Fox's first opportunity to practice being a knight.   
They quickly finished eating and Fox promised Kate that he would try to take her home. Continuing his journey, Fox entertained Kate by retelling stories that Samantha had told him. When he ran out of those, he began making up his own. He told of liver-eating monsters, killer cockroaches, and a strange salt-water monster that was afraid of fresh water along with other bizarre demons from his mind. In all of his strange tales a hero, bearing the likeness of himself or a redheaded, blue eyed heroine from his imagination (for Kate's sake) saved the day.   
Night came and the two stopped under a large tree to go to sleep. In the middle of the night, Fox heard Kate scream. He snapped upright and looks at Kate who was trembling in her spot.   
"What is it Kate?" asks Fox, alarmed.  
"There was a man in a big cloak," she whispered.   
Fox jumped up and looked around.   
"Where?"  
"He disappeared, like magic!"   
Concerned, but very tired, Fox told Kate to go to sleep while he kept a lookout for the strange man. Kate did as he said and Fox did his best to keep his promise. He stayed up most of the night seeing nothing out of the ordinary and fell asleep a few hours before the sun came up.   
He awoke before Kate did and began getting ready to leave. As soon as Kate was up and they both had had a piece of bread each, the two were on their way. It was Kate this time that told the stories while they walked. She told stories that she had heard about strange beings that rode in magical metal ships with strange symbols impressed into them.   
"Some say that some of the creatures look like humans who can change into a different person and others are not much like human at all. They say that they have a body like ours, but they're very thin and tall and that they have leathery, gray colored skin. Their heads are supposed to be big and shaped like upside down teardrops with big black eyes and small mouths," Kate went on and on.  
Fox found the stories very intriguing and pressed her for more information.   
"Well, there are a few who believe that these creatures aren't from our land at all, but are from lands found deep in the sky. Mother says that that's not possible and only the people who are out their minds believe that."  
When the sun was up high in the air, Fox noticed that ground they were walking on was beginning to look like some sort of forgotten, beaten up old path. Not long afterwards, the two found themselves walking on a path which Kate recognized.   
"This is the path that mother and father told me not to go on! We're not far from home now!"  
Half and hour later Fox and Kate found themselves on the outskirts of a little village. Fox was speechless. Though there were no more than a few homes and structures around and not more than half a dozen people milling about, he had never seen so many people and buildings before. Before Fox could stand there very long, Kate had pulled him towards one of the homes, which was in the process of being repaired.   
"Kate!"   
"Father!"  
Fox stood aside as the two reunited with each other. Then Kate's father sent her off to her mother in the home next door and turned to Fox.   
"Young man, I cannot tell you how eternally grateful I am that you found my daughter and brought her home. You have proven your chivalry by taking her back through the woods all alone. For that, I am forever in debt to you. Please stay with my family, we are moving back into our house tonight. I am Sir McKay of Montangue."  
Sir McKay took Fox next door where he was received graciously. A feast was held in celebration of Kate's return and in gratitude of Fox's deed. When the feasting was done Sir McKay stood up and thanked Fox again.  
"We must know the name of this noble young man for he will surely be a great knight.   
"I'm -er, Mulder," stammered Fox, embarrassed. "Fox Mulder."  
"A Mulder!" cried Sir McKay taken aback. "You can't be the famous Sir Bill Mulder's son?"  
"I am, sir."  
"Alive? But how?"  
So Fox told a very condensed version of his story leaving everyone in awe.   
"The wizard you spoke of must have been Deep Throat," murmured Sir McKay. "Only he would take such a risk against the Dark Lord."  
"Deep Throat?" said Fox, "how can I find him?"  
"You can't," said Sir McKay plainly. "If he feels the need, he will come to you."  
Seeing Fox's concerned face, he continued on, "Don't worry about it, Deep Throat will come to you when the time is right. For now, stay with us. We are very honored to have Sir Mulder's son with us."  
Sir McKay's family gave Fox a soft bed and new clothing. He stayed with them for three days. On the third night, he asked Sir McKay how he could become a knight.  
"You need to be trained," said Sir McKay. "It would be best if you were trained by an actual knight too."  
"Where can I go to find a knight to train me?" asked Fox.  
"Well, Baltimore is the largest settlement close to here, and there is a castle there so most likely many knights will be around that area."  
Interested, Fox asked directions to Baltimore.  
"How about I take you there instead?" offered Sir McKay. "We can take my horse. After all, I am still in debt to you for saving our Kate."  
The next morning after saying goodbye to the family, Fox and Sir McKay left for Baltimore. They reached the town by mid afternoon. Sir McKay insisted on staying with Fox, but he thanked him and persuaded him to return home to Montangue to his family.   
When Fox was finally alone, he explored the city. It was bustling with busy people and full of surprises. Fox wandered around wide-eyed absorbing every little detail. When he finally had enough of looking at the city, he remembered his new task at had: finding a knight to train him. It wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. Sir McKay had been right. There were many knights in Baltimore, but they all looked busy and preoccupied. Fox wasn't sure what to do. Finally, he screwed up his courage and picked the biggest, burliest, and bravest looking knight he could see. He walked up to him and was about to get his attention when someone grabbed him away.   
Fox turned around to see three men looking sternly at him.   
"What do you think you're doing, boy?" said the short, plumper one.   
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" cried the taller one with long blonde hair. Fox would have mistaken him for a woman had he not seen his clothing.   
"P-pardon me?" stammered Fox.   
"You were about to get pulverized by Sir Damphouse," the short one spoke again, indicating the knight Fox had been approaching. "And we saved you."  
"I was only going to ask him if he would train me to be a knight."   
The men looked at each other for a second and then broke out laughing. Fox was thoroughly confused and a bit wary of the men.  
"Sir Bob Damphouse is the meanest, most impatient knight known to man,' the third man finally spoke. He was the tallest and had a neatly trimmed beard and moustache. "You ask him anything, and your answer will be a spear through your head."  
"Oh," Fox looked crestfallen. "Well, thanks for saving my life."   
"You're welcome," said the man with the long blonde hair. "Now scram."  
Fox turned away. Then he hesitated and turned back to the men.   
"Now what?" asked the blonde impatiently.  
"You wouldn't happen to know any nicer knights, would you?"  
The three men looked at each other again.   
"Boy, we are knights," said the short one. "Sirs Frohike, Langly, and Byers at your service."   
"Would you sirs be so kind as to train me to be a knight then?" asked Fox looking brighter.  
"Now wait a minute here," began the blonde, Sir Langly.  
"Wait, Langly," said Sir Byers thoughtfully. He was the tall one with the beard. "We were talking about needing some help."  
"Byers is right you know," said the short, plump Sir Frohike to Sir Langly. "He could be our squire."  
"He's a little boy!" exclaimed Langly.   
"All the better!" said Sir Byers.   
'What do you think, little man?" asked Sir Frohike to Fox.  
"I would appreciate it very much," said Fox excitedly.   
"Then it's settled."  
The three knights took Fox in as their new squire. They returned home to their small lair not far from Baltimore and began training Fox. Although they were unaware of it, they were also finishing up Samantha's job of raising Fox. Fox was on his way to becoming the famous knight Sir Mulder. 


	4. Sir Mulder

4. Sir Mulder  
Growing up with the three knights proved a very interesting time for Fox, who now insisted on being called Sir Mulder, embarrassed by his first name. The three knights understood, for Sirs Frohike and Langly did not like their first names much either. Sirs Frohike, Langly, and Byers were very paranoid, especially of any type of higher authority. The three had been secretly forming numerous plans for years to invade the Smoking Man's castle and battle with him, hoping to over throw his evil regime.   
Under their supervision, Mulder learned to "trust no one", to be wary of any type of organized government, and became almost as paranoid as his odd friends. The three knights were also some of the people Kate spoke of that were "out of their minds". They believed that strange creatures (Sir Frohike used the word aliens) did come from lands in the sky far away from the earth that they knew to study human nature and their world. Mulder, in awe of the three knights, thirstily drank up every word.   
But that was not all that Mulder learned from them. Although they seemed clumsy and awkward at first glance, Frohike, Langly, and Byers were actually very skilled knights. Being their squire, Mulder learned how to ride a horse, hold a spear, and use a sword. The three knights taught Mulder everything they knew and soon their student surpassed even their skills. As time passed and Mulder grew to be a young man rumors spread everywhere that he would be one of the greatest knights in the world, if not the greatest. But along with that prediction came the title of Sir Spooky for his strange, unorthodox beliefs and paranoia. Mulder didn't mind though. He concentrated solely on becoming great enough to take revenge on whoever destroyed his family.  
Finally the day came when Sir Frohike knighted Mulder. The trio found it very hard not to be emotional. Their little Mulder was all grown up and had no need of them anymore. Even Sir Langly had grown very fond of him. And although they were proud of Mulder, they were also sad that he was now a knight because it meant that he had to go on quests and find adventures to prove himself a worthy knight and build up his reputation and name.   
"Before you go," said Sir Frohike holding back tears that were threatening to spill. "We each have a little gift for you. They will help you on your way to becoming the greatest knight ever to walk this earth."  
Sir Frohike's gift was a beautiful sword. Its handle was encrusted with red stones.   
Sir Byers' gift was a shield. The background was black and the symbol depicted in the center was a large green X outlined in silver. "It will help defend you from and defeat the unknown," explained Byers as he handed it to him.   
Sir Langly's gift was a powerful gray horse. Mulder named it Blue.  
When it came time for Mulder to leave, Frohike couldn't take it any more.   
"Take care," he said, hugging Mulder tightly around his middle since Mulder had grown much taller than Frohike. "Don't forget your best friends when you become the greatest knight in the world!"  
"I promise I won't," laughed Mulder.  
When the good byes were over, Mulder mounted Blue and turned to face the north. Giving his friends one final salute, he rode off.   
"Find a good king to serve, Mulder," called Byers.  
"Cream all the knights you joust with!" yelled Langly.  
"Don't forget to save a few beautiful damsels in distress!" added Frohike.  
  
With the encouragement and advice of Sirs Frohike, Langly, and Byers, Mulder rode gallantly into the north woods, ready to take on anything coming his way. His first few nights into his escapade proved uneventful. It wasn't until the fourth day where he found a lady in anguish on the side of the path.   
"My lady," said Mulder, bringing Blue to a halt. "What ails you so?"  
"Noble sir, an evil knight has taken siege of my castle and has cast me out. I have no one to champion me and win it back!"  
"Fair lady," said Sir Mulder. "Take me to your castle. I will be your champion and teach this scoundrel a lesson."  
The lady led Mulder deep into the forest to where her castle lay siege. Approaching it, he saw a knight atop the castle that the lady identified as the man responsible for her troubles.   
Mulder called up to the knight and told him to joust for the lady's castle.   
The knight came down with his horse and they jousted. The knight proved to be a worthy opponent for Mulder for he gave a long, well fought battle, giving Mulder many wounds and scars. But in the end, Mulder was victorious, unhorsing his opponent and knocking him to the ground.   
"Please good knight," begged the man on the ground eyeing the sword pointed at his chest. "I beg of you, don't kill me. I am Sir Jerry of Lamana. I had been put under a spell to take the castle..."  
"A spell?" said Mulder.  
"Yes," panted the knight. "By an evil sorceress by the name of Phoebe la Green."  
"Well, Sir Jerry, although you have wounded me and caused much bloodshed, I will let you go since you say you were put under an enchantment." And with that, Mulder removed his sword from its position above Sir Jerry's chest allowing him to rise.  
"Merciful knight," said Sir Jerry. "I beseech your name for I vow to be loyal to such a noble knight."   
"I am Sir Mulder," Mulder replied and stepped aside to allow Sir Jerry to take leave with his horse.  
When Sir Jerry and his horse had disappeared from sight the fair lady whom Mulder had championed ran up to him.   
"Why did you let him go?" she asked. "He's an evil man and took my castle!"  
"Good lady, an enchantment put upon him by an evil sorceress was the source of his unjustly actions. It was not he who was at fault."  
"Well, it is of no matter now," said the lady. "Please, I beg of you to come inside. You are wounded. You may rest in my castle until you are healed."  
Mulder tied up Blue to a tree where there was enough grass for her to feed. Then the lady took Mulder inside the castle and led him down a long hall decorated with monstrous stone gargoyles.   
She stopped near the end of it and turned to face Mulder. All of a sudden every door in the castle slammed shut. Alarmed, Mulder pulled out his sword searching the hall for potential enemies.  
The lady laughed. "Put down your silly little sword," she told Mulder. "Any efforts you make are futile now. You are mine for eternity."  
Keeping his calm Mulder asked, "and you are?"  
"The sorceress Phoebe la Green of course."  
"Oh, of course," said Mulder sarcastically. Then, "I was warned about you,"  
"You should learn to heed warnings better then, but it is of no matter now. You belong to me now. The Dark Lord thought he had got rid of all you Mulders. Hah! When he learns that I have captured his greatest enemy he will surely award me handsomely. But I already have a handsome reward..." she gazed pointedly at Mulder.   
"I'm very sorry madam, but I'm afraid you have nothing at all," and Mulder lashed out at her with his sword.  
But before he was even close to the sorceress, the stone gargoyles came to life and seized him. It was useless for Mulder to fight against stone.   
Phoebe laughed menacingly. "Well, I'm afraid you'll have to be locked up until you can learn to behave properly in the presence of a lady. Take him to the dungeon."  
The gargoyles drag Mulder to a dark dungeon where he is secluded from the sorceress' other prisoners. When he was locked up, Phoebe cast a spell over the area surrounding his cell creating an everlasting wall of fire to prevent any means of escape.   
"The fire will stop only when your heart melts and you will accept me as your lover," Phoebe told him.   
Mulder could do nothing. He wouldn't give into the evil sorceress. The only time he saw anyone besides Phoebe la Green was her servant, Lady Kirsten, who was very kind to Mulder, conversing with him when she brought him his meals.  
Finally after being trapped in Phoebe's cell for four days, Mulder had enough. When a small portion of the flames went out as Lady Kirsten passed through to bring him his meal, Mulder asked her why she served the sorceress. Lady Kirsten told Mulder that she was actually the daughter of a king but vampires threatened kill the family and turn the king's children into vampires. And so, desperate for help, she went to the sorceress and said she would do anything to be rid of the monsters. Phoebe promised her, she would cast a spell over her castle so that the vampires would not be able to enter her father's castle only if she would be her loyal servant  
"Good lady," said Mulder. "If I would kill the vampires for you, would you help me escape?"  
Lady Kirsten looked doubtful. "Not even the most valiant of my fathers knights could defeat the monsters. What makes you think you can?"  
"You just have to believe I can," said Mulder. "And if I cannot, I will die trying."  
She agreed and let him out of the prison. Mulder slipped by her while her body blocked the flames. Then she led him out of the prison through a secret door so that the sorceress would not notice.   
When Mulder had retrieved Blue and both he and Lady Kirsten mounted the steed, they made off to the castle in the holy wood where Lady Kirsten's family dwelled. Upon arriving at the castle, Lady Kirsten noticed that the vampires were nowhere to be seen.   
"Phoebe must have noticed our absence and has lifted the spell," moaned Mulder's companion. "I fear we may be too late to save my family."  
The two went into the castle and found three vampires engaged in a fierce battle with a man who could only be identified as the king and the king's knights. Although the vampires were greatly outnumbered, they were more powerful and seemed to have the upper hand. Many knights already lay on the ground dead, a snack for the vampires when they won the fight.  
Sir Mulder jumped into the battle surprising not only the vampires, but also the knights he fought along side with. Many knights stopped fighting to watch Mulder joust and battle, for they had never seen such a display of might and courage in a knight before.   
The battle wore on for hours. Those in it were dripping with blood, which only excited the vampires and strengthened them. The vampires seemed unstoppable. Finally Mulder, having stuck his opponent everywhere else, shoved his sword into the monster's heart. A deafening moan filled the room as it died.   
Seeing the strange knight kill the vampire inspired the knights cowering in the corners to join the battle. By strengthening their numbers, the knights soon came out victorious as the third and last vampire sank to the ground, clutching the sword impaled in it's chest.  
The king, Lady Kirsten's father, approached Mulder looking at him in awe.   
"Who is this great knight my daughter has brought home who inspired my knights and saved my family and my kingdom?"   
"I am Sir Mulder, my liege," answered Mulder, taking off his helmet.   
"Sir Mulder, I am King John of the Holy Wood please accept our gifts of thanks to you and stay with us and protect our kingdom."  
"If it was not for your fair daughter I would not be here," Mulder replied. "I will stay with you, but I cannot stay long," said Mulder, "just long enough for my wounds to heal. Then I must travel on to meet more adventures and hopefully someday conquer the evil Smoking Man, for I have just recently learned that it was he who had brought my family to its demise."  
"Sir Mulder, you may stay as long as you like and will always be most welcome in our kingdom. And when that day comes when you will go battle with the Dark Lord, you can be sure that my men will support you."  
Sir Mulder stayed in King John's domains for a week. While he was there he was treated like a king himself. When he left Holy Wood he met numerous other adventures where he rescued fair maidens, unfortunate knights, and whole kingdoms. He met and jousted with famous knights from lands far and near and battled with evil beings, never once loosing a fight. When he was captured by magical means, Sir Mulder always found a cleaver means of escape. Nothing could hold him back. Soon all people knew Mulder's name and he really became the greatest knight in the world. 


	5. Lady Scully

5. Lady Scully  
In two years time, Sir Mulder's name was famous throughout all kingdoms. By then, Mulder felt that it was time to return to Baltimore where he had left Sirs Frohike, Langly, and Byers. He had had, for the time being, his fill of adventures. Now what he wanted most was to find a good king to loyally serve and begin planning and preparing the downfall of the Smoking Man.   
But Mulder seemed to attract adventures like bees to sugar. On the third day into his journey home, Mulder found what seemed to be a graveyard of fallen knights. Some of the bodies were already skeletons while more recent casualties could be recognizable even with their rotting flesh. As Mulder rode on the deaths seemed to be more and more recent. The trail of corpses led to the path of a crumbling castle. As Blue came to a stop at the start of the pathway, Mulder noticed one of the bodies lying closest to him move.   
Hopping down from his horse, Mulder stooped down to the fallen knight. He was still alive though barely conscious. Mulder carefully propped up the severely wounded body and gave him some of his water.   
"Good knight," said Mulder when the man was fully awake. "What evil monster is the cause all these deaths and your grave wounds?"   
"It is no monster, but a monster of an man, Sir Donny Pfaster. Time and time again he has captured the love or lady of many a noble knight and challenged them to a fight to the death. He jousts by only two rules: if his contender finds victory, he will win back his true love. If Sir Donny proves victorious, the opponent will loose not only his life but also his true love. Not one of his adversaries has beaten him yet. I myself have jousted with him. By the grace of God I am still living, but I have lost my one true love, a fate far worse than death."  
Looking very sullen, the knight took a good look Mulder. Surprised, he asked in shock, "Noble knight, are you not the great and famous knight Sir Mulder?"  
"Yes, I am the knight that you speak of."  
"You are called the greatest knight in the world and I have heard of the many great and noble feats you have accomplished."  
"I am just Sir Mulder," Mulder said humbly, who had no idea that he was known so well throughout the land. "But I will go and fight Sir Donny in your name and in the name of all of the other noble men who have lost their lives here."  
"Godspeed to you, Sir Mulder," said the knight. "And if my love is still alive, would you please give her a message from me? Please tell her that I, Sir Leopold of Albany, am truly sorry that I have failed her and that I pray that she forgive me."  
Mulder gave Sir Leopold his word and made his way up to the castle. Finding no one to challenge him at the entrance of the castle, Mulder invited himself in. He found himself in a large chamber. At the opposite end of the chamber was a large basin and behind it, a grand fireplace where trophies of ladies' hair and fingers were displayed.   
Before Mulder could go any further into the castle, a knight stepped out of the shadows denying Mulder the right to advance and challenged him to a fight to the death even though he had no lady with him. Mulder accepted and they were soon engaged in a ferocious battle. Mulder had never faced anyone with such strength before.   
Five hours into the battle the two agreed to take a short breather. In this time Mulder asked Sir Donny why he used his talent for evil when he could become a great and respected knight. He received no answer. Mulder realized that he was not capable of doing anything but evil. Sir Leopold had been right, though he was human, he was nothing more than a monster that was pleased by the death and torture of others and had a fetish for the hair and fingers of ladies. They assumed their joust again and fought well into the evening. Finally, at nightfall Mulder dealt Sir Donny a mortal wound.   
Believing that was the end of Sir Donny, Mulder cast off his bloodied armor for it had become burdensome and went in search of Sir Leopold's beloved with a torchlight in his hand. He went to the end of the chamber and found a small door. Opening it, he found two beautiful ladies bound and gagged on the floor of the small closet.   
He quickly undid their bindings and let them out of the dark enclosure. With the light of the torch he recognized one of the ladies as Lady Kate, whom he had rescued years and years before. It was she who turned out to be the love of Sir Leopold. She thanked Mulder for his services again, reminded him her that her home would always welcome him, and hurried out to find her beloved.   
The other lady turned out to be the daughter of the infamous King Skinner, Lady Scully. Mulder was immediately awestruck by her beauty and grace as she stepped into the light.   
"M'lady," said Mulder, bowing courteously to her. "I did not find any other living knights with Sir Leopold, but I will escort you safely back to you kingdom."  
"That would be very much appreciated, good knight," replied Lady Scully. "Good sir, are you not the famed knight Sir Mulder?"  
"I am he," said Mulder. "But I think I would recall meeting a lady as fair as you."  
"I know you only by reputation."  
"I did not know my name had spread so far through the land."  
While they talked Sir Donny stirred on the ground where he had fallen when Mulder gravely wounded him.   
Meanwhile, Mulder and Lady Scully talked about the kingdom of Quequeg, where the Lady Scully resided with her father King Skinner. The noble king was famous for being the only king ever to ward off an invasion by the Dark Lord by force.   
"When we arrive at your father's castle, I think I appeal to him and ask if I may join his knights. I have been searching for a good king to serve, and I believe he may be the king I have been looking for."  
"We would be honored to have you join our knights of the conference table," said Lady Scully.   
All of a sudden Sir Donny dragged himself up off the floor and faced Mulder and Scully, a deranged look distorting his face.  
"You're not going to join any conference table," he hissed. "I'm not through with you yet." And he lunged at Mulder with his sword. For the first time in his life Mulder was bewildered and helpless, caught off guard and unarmored. When his senses finally caught up with him, he had just enough time to duck away before Sir Donny went crashing down on the spot where he just stood. Sir Donny managed to drag Mulder down with him and slashed at Mulder with his sword.   
While Sir Donny was savagely beating up on Mulder, Lady Scully managed to grab Mulder's sword from where he had left it earlier and brought it over to where the two knights were thrashing about. Finding that Mulder had no way to get a hold of his sword, Lady Scully did the only thing she could do, she stabbed the sword in to Sir Donny's back, killing him.  
Mulder pushed away Sir Donny's body, shocked at what had just happened. But Lady Scully paid no attention to the lifeless body lying in a heap next to her. Instead, she fussed about Mulder's wounds insisting that she look at them and fix them up. Mulder stared at Scully in wonder and amazement while Scully cleaned up his minor cuts and wounds. When Lady Scully declared that they must be on their way to Quequeg so that she would have access to slaves and ointments that would heal Mulder more effectively, it was all the he could do to sigh. She looked so serious that he knew better than to argue with her. So in the middle of the night, the two set off on Blue to Quequeg, Sir Mulder leaving a trail of blood behind him as his lacerations bled and Lady Scully scolding him for not paying more attention to his wounds. 


	6. The Quest for Truth

6. The Quest for Truth  
The journey to Quequeg was a long two-day ride to the east. By the last day, Sir Mulder had lost so much blood that he fell into a faint and Lady Scully had to guide Blue to Quequeg herself. Once they reached their destination, Lady Scully had her servants take to a small chamber in the castle where he could be healed. For days and days Mulder looked dead to the world, but because of Lady Scully's immaculate care his grim wounds slowly healed and he was revived. Lady Scully, who never left his side, was the first to see him awake. She advised him to rest until he had recovered his full strength before he moved from the bed.   
It was almost a month later before Sir Mulder was able to get up and move about. By then, the entire kingdom knew that the great Sir Mulder was in their realm. Mulder then appealed to King Skinner, who accepted Mulder into his famed knights of the conference table. From then on Mulder was known as Sir Mulder of Quequeg. All of Mulder's adventures were now dedicated to King Skinner and his lovely daughter Lady Scully. Mulder, though he was not fully aware of it, had fallen in love with Scully and performed many great deeds for her. Likewise, Lady Scully had unconsciously fallen in love with Sir Mulder, who occupied her mind day and night. Unfortunately Lady Scully was supposed to marry a king instead of a lowly knight.  
  
Although Mulder had encountered the Smoking Man's black knights many times before, Mulder jousted with them almost daily while he was at Quequeg. The Smoking Man had relentlessly attacked the kingdom before, unwilling to let King Skinner defy him for so long. When he learned that the son of the former Sir Mulder was alive and well and dwelling in Quequeg, he discharged twice as many of his black knights to attempt to destroy King Skinner's domains and Sir Mulder.   
King Skinner's knights of the conference table and his other trustworthy knights had held off the Smoking Man for decades, but Mulder saw that they were beginning to wear thin. Mulder decided that it was time to begin his plans for the downfall of the Dark Lord. It was at a meeting of the conference table where he announced his intentions, but before anyone could comment on them, an elderly man suddenly appeared in the room.   
King Skinner stood up, "Deep Throat, what a pleasant surprise."  
Deep Throat greeted the king and then turned towards Sir Mulder, who hadn't taken his eyes of him since he appeared.  
"Sir Mulder," said Deep Throat fondly. "It's been a very long time since I've seen you in person. When you were young, I was able to watch over you, like those nights you spent in the woods after the loss of your sister, but you soon became too alert, and it was very difficult to do so without getting your attention. But I have still watched over you, though it has been from afar."  
"It was you who saved my sister and I, wasn't it?"  
"It was"  
"And you saved us from the Smoking Man's knights?"  
"Yes."  
"Why?"  
Deep Throat studied Mulder carefully. "So you could carry out your plan to bring down the Smoking Man, the Dark Lord. It is you and your son who are destined to bring him his demise and he obviously did not like that. I have been waiting very long for the day the Dark Lord will fall, so I come with this little piece of advice to help you and those who support you on your way. You are to quest for the Truth. Search the land for a full year. At the end of the year, all knights still living who are on the quest must return. You will know if you have been successful. I will return then to give you further instruction."  
Deep Throat then disappeared as suddenly as he came. Everyone looked at each other, not sure how to react. Finally Mulder spoke.  
"I guess I must go, for I am destined to take this quest."  
"I will go also," announced another knight of the conference table, Sir Doggett.  
"And I," conceded Sir Jerry, the knight Mulder had saved on one of his very first adventures.   
Soon a dozen other knights decided to go quest for the Truth. The remainder would stay in Quequeg to keep the Smoking Man's black knights at bay. Those who were going on the quest began making preparations that night.   
The next morning the knights began preparing to leave. When Mulder had mounted Blue and was ready to ride of Lady Scully ran towards him.  
"Wait, Sir Mulder!" When she reached him, she grabbed his hand. "Please, take me with you. You may need someone to watch your back."  
"M'lady..." Mulder was unsure of what to say. It wasn't that he didn't wish for her to accompany him. He knew that Lady Scully was strong and quite capable of going on the quest with him, but he also knew that it was very unladylike and not proper for a princess. "I don't think that others would find it very becoming of you to go on the quest and what would your father think?"  
"I will not allow my daughter to go on the quest," said King Skinner who had over heard their conversation.  
Mulder did some quick thinking. "My king, if I were to come back successful on this quest, would you permit me to marry your daughter?"  
This proposal took everyone, including Mulder, by surprise.   
King Skinner looked from Mulder' serious expression to Scully's earnest look. Finally he sighed. He had wanted her to marry a well-known king, but couldn't bear to have Lady Scully be disappointed and unhappy.   
"Yes," he conceded. "If you come back successful, Sir Mulder, I will allow you to be married to Lady Scully and be my son in law."  
It then came time for the knights leaving on the quest to depart. Sir Mulder and Lady Scully, both looking quite pleased, said their good byes and departed. Lady Scully had no doubt that Mulder would return home successful, because that was just the type of knight he was.  
  
Uplifted by the prospect of wedding the lovely Lady Scully, Mulder rode day and night, stopping only to water Blue and let the loyal steed rest and gather its strength. On his quest, Mulder never saw another knight of King Skinner. He was on his own. But he didn't mind the solitude. The Truth was the only thing on his mind. He searched near and far for any sign of the Truth, never tiring. The thought of Lady Scully and the anticipation of avenging the death of his family gave him his endless supply of energy.  
Seven months had passed before Mulder found anything. It was a little boy. At first, Mulder thought nothing of him, only stopping to ask the boy if he had seen anything strange. When they boy did not answer, Mulder prepared to move on. Then the boy spoke.  
"I know what you're looking for."  
Mulder looked down at the boy. "What's that?" he asked him.  
"You're looking for the Truth."  
Startled, Mulder dismounted Blue and took the boy by his shoulders.  
"Do you know where I can find it?"  
"I am part of it," the boy replied and slipped out of Mulder's grasp. He turned and walked away deeper into the woodland.  
"Hey, where are you going?" shouted Mulder.  
The boy said nothing, but turned around and beckoned him to follow.   
Mulder grabbed Blue's reigns and went after the boy.   
They had walked about a mile when they stopped at an opening in the forest. Mulder saw nothing out of the ordinary. He was about to speak when the boy began walking again, this time, towards the center of the clearing in the woods. To Mulder's wonder, the boy disappeared as if he walked through a curtain, leaving a ripple in the air around the place he vanished.   
Not knowing what else to do, Mulder tied up Blue and cautiously went up to the place the boy disappeared. He stuck his arm out and felt it go through a strange substance. He could still see his arm, but it looked strange and wavy. Without realizing it, Mulder stepped all the way through the substance. He found himself in a very bright circle. In the center was the boy. But what was next to the boy was what shocked Mulder the most. It was very tall and gray. It's had long thin limbs and a large, strangely shaped head. Its large black eyes stared unblinkingly at Mulder. It was Sir Frohike's alien.   
"Welcome," it said. But there was no sound. Mulder heard the voice in his head. "Your quest ends here. This is where you will learn the truth and free your people. The truth is that the ignorance and incompetence cast over your people was not entirely the Smoking Man's doing. In reality, it has nothing to do with you humans at all, but everything to do with you. You see, there are more creatures out there like us who have also found your world. These aliens have seen the potential your kind has and a number of them have decided to start the slow process of colonizing your planet to take over your world. The Smoking Man noticed this and made a deal with the... we'll call them aliens. They agreed to help the Smoking Man reign over the humans as long as he did not interfere with their plans. As part of the agreement, the Smoking man would also promote ignorance throughout the people, which would make the aliens' job much simpler.   
What these aliens did not realize was that another race of aliens had the same intentions, only they have been on this planet much, much longer than they could imagine. They have now begun a war to see who will have control of this planet. To twist things up even more, my race of aliens found them in the middle of war. We realize that your race will play a very significant role in the not so near future, so we have joined the war though are intentions are not yet clear, not even to ourselves.   
What we do know for sure is that we do not want these other aliens taking over your planet, at least not yet. So we have shown ourselves to you and we will help you bring down the Smoking Man."  
The alien and the boy looked up and Sir Mulder did the same. Above he saw the underside of a strange ship of some sort with odd symbols engraved in the metallic surface. At the center of the craft was an intensely bright light, the source of the light that flooded the area Mulder stood in with the boy and the alien. The bright light began to dim a bit. Then Mulder noticed a sword slowly lowering down to earth. When it was in Mulder's reach, the sword stopped and hovered in its place.   
"Although the end of the Smoking Man is still years and years away, this sword will help you defeat him. Take it. Only you and the one man who will kill the Smoking Man will be able to use it. Use it wisely, Fox Mulder. Although you will never know it, we will meet again."  
In an instant, the light intensified and Mulder was blinded by the white glow. When his vision had cleared, he saw the entirety of the strange hovering craft, a massive thing that was at least two miles wide in diameter, high in the air. Then it lifted higher and with blinding speed, disappeared into the stars.   
Sir Mulder stared up at the skies in amazement for a long period of time. When he came to his senses he realized that the sword, which now cast an eerie glow was still hovering right in front of him. After a moment's hesitation, Mulder reached out and grabbed it. It felt warm in his grip and a strange feeling passed through him. Then without a second thought he untied Blue, mounted the steed, and headed back towards Quequeg where his home and his bride awaited him. 


	7. The Fall of Quequeg

7. The Fall of Quequeg  
A year had passed when Sir Mulder arrive to Quequeg, the last of the surviving quest knights to return. Only two knights were lost: Sir Jerry and Sir Jack Willis. Sir Jerry had fallen from a cliff while Sir Jack was killed two black knights. Upon the knights' return, there was much rejoicing and celebrating. In the midst of the celebration was the wedding of Lady Scully and Sir Mulder.   
Since Deep Throat had not made another appearance to the knights of the conference table or to King Skinner, it was decided that nothing would be done until they got word from the wizard even though Smoking Man's black knights still continued to attack as ferociously as ever. Yet people went on living their daily lives. The entire kingdom, inspired by Sir Mulder's success on the quest, was in high spirits and life was almost as cheery as if the threat of the Smoking Man didn't exist.   
  
Mulder and Lady Scully's happiness together was evident wherever they were seen. Out of his love for Scully, Mulder continued doing great deeds, saving her from evil many times over. Scully surprised everyone by doing the same for Mulder. Many occasions arose where Mulder would have perished if Lady Scully had not been at his side.   
It was not long before Lady Scully was with child. Once the Dark Lord learned of this, the attacks on Quequeg increased tenfold and Scully's life was frequently in peril. It was on the night that their son was to be born when the Smoking Man's black knights broke through the kingdom's walls. The knights of the conference table held them off for as long as they could. In the process, many lost their lives.   
At the climax of the fighting, Deep Throat appeared to Lady Scully who was beginning to feel birth pains. Taking her and her maid, Lady Reyes, by the hand, they disappeared.   
Meanwhile, King Skinner and his remaining knights were at their wits end. No matter how many knights they killed, more kept coming back. Sir Doggett took on Sir Folmer while Sir Martin fought viciously with Sir Kersh. King Skinner found himself in one on one combat with the Smoking Man's most prized knight, Sir Krycek. They fought savagely with against each other; blood flowed freely from their bodies.   
The struggle between the Smoking Man's black knights and King Skinner's knights of the conference table ended when Skinner knocked Krycek onto his knees. He drove his sword into Krycek's head just as Krycek stuck his own sword into the king's gut. Those around them watched in horror as the two men sunk to the ground.   
Mass chaos broke out. Word of the death of the king spread like wild fire. The Smoking Man had finally defeated King Skinner and conquered Quequeg. All hope that Mulder's success had ignited was lost.   
Skinner's knights and men surrendered. There was nothing else they could do. The black knights smugly rounded up what was left of the knights of the conference table and took them prisoner.   
Among them was Sir Mulder who had decidedly given up on life. The Smoking Man had succeeded again in taking away his family and Mulder felt that there was nothing left to live for. Without struggle, he let the black knights throw him into prison in his own castle. They spit on him and taunted him through the bars of his cage, crowing that the great Sir Mulder had finally fallen.   
When the black knights left, Mulder had fallen into a deep stupor. He didn't notice when Deep Throat suddenly appeared in his cell. He didn't even notice when Deep Throat, fishing out a key from his sleeve, unlocked the door to his prison.   
"Sir Mulder," hissed Deep Throat. "Sir Mulder!"  
Not getting a reply Deep Throat walked up to Mulder and gave him a sharp kick.   
"Mulder!"  
Slowly, Sir Mulder's head rose up, his eyes unsteadily focused on Deep Throat who was hunched over him.   
"Sir Mulder, I suggest that you get up this instant and find your way out to the court yard. Your horse is waiting for you there."  
"What is the point?" asked Mulder fiercely. "I failed. I failed in protecting my kingdom, in protecting my king, in protecting my family! Skinner is dead, God knows what's happened to Lady Scully and where she is now! And what of our child that was to be born tonight? They're all gone. The Smoking Man has seen to that. And in a matter of time, I will be next. What is the use of delaying it any longer?"  
"There is a reason," said Deep Throat impatiently. "So you can save this world. Save the people from the wrath of the Dark Lord."  
"You crazy old man, don't you see it's over? He's won!"  
Deep Throat straightened up stiffly.   
"He hasn't won until I've said he's won. Now, if you don't want to go find your wife and your newborn son, that's fine. I'll find a different knight to fulfil my prophecy, to fix this mess that history has made of itself. He'll raise your son and make him the perfect knight. And in thirteen years' time, he'll be the one to see your son finish off the Dark Lord. In fact, I believe that Sir Doggett would be just the right knight to do it..."  
Mulder gave Deep Throat a sharp look.   
"Where are they?" he asked pushing himself up from his little corner on the ground. "Where is Lady Scully? Where is my... son?"   
Deep Throat smiled. "In the forest, in a little hut. I believe you know it well."  
Mulder hurried out of the cell, then stopped to take a last look at the wizard.  
"Don't worry, Mr. Mulder, I'll see you once again."  
As inconspicuously as possible, Mulder slipped his way out of the castle and into the courtyard where a maid, Lady Diana, waited with Blue, all saddled and anxious to leave.   
"Good luck," she whispered as Mulder rode off into the night.   
  
Mulder raced through the forest, sometimes barely avoiding the suspicion the black knights that patrolled the grounds. He found himself in the familiar little clearing where the hut stood just before dawn. Mulder knew that this could not be possible, the ride should have taken a day or two at the least, but suspected Deep Throat had something to do with it.   
Pausing only for a minute at Samantha's grave, he hurried into the hut where he found Scully lying on a bed, a bundle of sheets in her arms. Lady Reyes was tending to her.   
"Mulder," her voice filled with relief.   
Sir Mulder made his way to the bed and took the bundle that Scully held out to him.   
"I named him William, after your father," she said, a soft smile playing on her lips.   
After that, Mulder did not hear another word anyone said. Enchanted by the baby boy that lay in his arms, the presence of his true love, and the cozy home he grew up in, Mulder needn't hear anything else. He had all he wanted in the world. 


	8. Sir William and the Smoking Man

8. Sir William and the Smoking Man  
It was as though Mulder had never left the secluded little hut in the forest. He fell back into the rhythm of the woodland quickly. The only difference was that the hut was a bit more crowded. Sir Mulder added a little room off of the hut for the maid and made a crib for baby Will. The small family lived quite happily together.   
As the baby grew, Mulder took care to raise him as a knight. Starting with the basics, William was quickly transformed from a little tyke playing with a wooden sword into a dashing adolescent with quick wit and reflexes. His skill with horses, swords, and spears were so refined, he seemed almost inhuman.   
"You better be careful," Lady Scully teased, "or he'll become greater than his own father."  
"We wouldn't want that now, would we?" Mulder always answered jovially, giving her a peck on the cheek.   
  
The years whizzed by. Mulder did not know what to expect. He only knew that it would change their lives yet again.   
It was on William's thirteenth birthday when Deep Throat showed himself for the last time. He had appeared at the front door right as Lady Reyes opened it to go out to do the dishes.   
After numerous apologies and the gathering of the tin dishware from the floor, Deep Throat was able to speak to Sir Mulder.  
"It is time," he began. "The time has come for William to topple the Dark Lord from his throne and take his place as rightful king."  
"What? You never mentioned anything about Will being king. He's so young! Thirteen as of today!"  
"When the Smoking Man is conquered, someone will have to rule his land and that someone will be your son, though certainly with you and Lady Scully as his advisors."  
"And exactly how does this work? We've been living here for thirteen years and know nothing about what has been happening to the outside world."  
"It doesn't matter. You will make your journey to the Smoking Man's castle by horseback. On your way you will gather men who support you, and believe me, there will be hundreds of thousands. It will be your job to lead those men and defeat the Smoking Man's army of black knights. Only then will you be able to have access to the Dark Lord himself where in the end, William will bring him his end."  
"I must come along too," declared Lady Scully, jumping into the conversation. "I will not let them go alone."  
"You will follow later," said Deep Throat. "Your medical knowledge has always been years before your time and it will be exceedingly imperative that your medicines and salves will be available after the battle."  
"Oh yes," he turned back to Mulder.   
From within the depths of his cloak he withdrew the sword Mulder acquired on his quest and handed it to him.  
"Are you ready?"  
  
Half an hour later William, newly knighted by Deep Throat, and Mulder departed from Lady Scully and Lady Reyes. While they rode towards Montangue, the nearest town, Mulder told his son their tale, beginning with Deep Throat's prophesy and the deaths of Mulder's parents and ending with what was to come for them in the future.   
They arrived in Montangue a day early, thanks to Deep Throat, and quickly recruited a sizable army, which included Sir Leopold and Lady Kate's father, Sir McKay, and brother, Sir Charles.   
Everywhere they went their numbers increased rapidly. Stopping in Baltimore, they found an army of 1,013 knights and men ready to join them, assembled by Sirs Frohike, Langly, and Byers. Many more joined when they saw Sir Mulder leading. After a short reunion with the three, Mulder continued onward to the north towards the center of the Smoking Man's dominion.   
Right after Mulder and his followers left Baltimore the black knights began to attack. But even with the onslaught, The army trudged on, never ceasing in numbers, only increasing in manpower. By the time they reached the Smoking Man's castle, their numbers climbed well above 1,850,000.   
But even with their numbers, the black knights were well prepared and ready for battle. Being on the Dark Lord's castle grounds, unknown and uncharted territory to Mulder's men gave the black knights a big advantage.   
  
Deep Throat watched the scene from the highest tower of the Smoking Man's gargantuan fortress. As he observed the mad slaughtering below him, he could feel his power and energy draining. His end was long past overdue, but ever since the Dark Lord took over Quequeg, he had done everything in his power to hold on until Sir Mulder and Sir William could reach the Smoking Man and destroy him. He had to be sure that this was the end of the Smoking Man. He wouldn't be able to stand himself otherwise.   
Sensing that Mulder and William were getting closer, Deep Throat turned around catching the Smoking Man off guard.   
"You know it's no good to try and sneak around while I'm here."  
The Smoking Man held up his chin.   
"I know what you've been up to."  
"It's a little to late for that," Deep Throat chuckled.   
"You know, I've never understood you,' the Smoking Man said, ignoring the wizard's comment. "You had the chance to become great and powerful like me, but instead you chose to slink around and meddle in affairs that are not of your business."  
"To be handed powers from such vile creatures as those?" scoffed Deep Throat. "You don't care about anyone else as long as you're taken care of. You have all the powers you want now and you're satisfied with that. You know that by the time those aliens figure out their mess, you won't be around anymore. But don't you want humanity to stand a chance against these invaders? How could you be satisfied knowing that one day, human kind will wake up and be under the direct control of beings that don't belong here?'  
"It is not my problem or of my concern," answered the Smoking Man.   
The faint sound of clashing of metal and shouting began penetrating the quiet.   
"No, well, you have a different problem at hand now," said Deep Throat.  
"Why don't you just destroy me yourself? Why drag that Mulder into this?"  
"He was destined to do it."  
"Either that or you don't have the courage to destroy your best friend."  
Deep Throat looked sadly at the Smoking Man.   
"Former," he said dejectedly.   
Then the door to their chamber burst open and a stream of black knights backed their way in trying to prevent Mulder and his men from getting any closer to their lord. Deep Throat and the Smoking Man backed up as the fighting enclosed around them.   
The Smoking Man, an alarmed look on his face, caught one last glimpse of Deep Throat before he disappeared from the room. Then took out his sword and began fighting off the intruders.   
  
Mulder, worn and bloody from the nonstop battling, saw the Smoking Man stick his sword into one of his comrades. Rage filled him instantly as the memory of his family came flooding back to him. Forgetting the knight he was fighting with, Mulder lunged strait for the Smoking Man. But Mulder's sword had barely clashed with the Smoking Man's before three of the black knights jumped on him.   
While Mulder was desperately fighting off the three knights, William made his way into the chamber. Though he had never battled with anyone before, William had fended off scores of the black knights, clearing the way for his father's supporters to take over the castle. Fighting his way through the room, William spotted a man who could only be the Smoking Man. He slipped his way over to him, ready to take him on.   
The Dark Lord saw the boy heading towards him. Knowing that their joust was inevitable, he shortened the distance between them, determination running through his veins.   
When their swords met, a space instantly cleared around them. The Smoking Man, surprised by the strength and technique the boy had, doubled his attack, hoping to catch him off guard, but William sidestepped his blows easily.   
Their fight wore on and one. Neither were making any gains. Mulder, who had finally slain the black knights attacking him, realized that none of William's advances were affecting the Smoking Man in any way. He glanced down and saw the sword he was holding in his hand.   
"William!" he shouted.   
William took half a second to glance towards his father.   
That was going to have to do for Mulder. "Catch!" he cried and flung the sword towards his son's location, hoping that it wouldn't slice him in half.   
William glanced up and saw the strangely glowing sword flying towards him. The Smoking Man took this moment to lunge in and stab William.   
As the sword went through him, William caught his father's sword in his hand. Instantly, the pain he felt was gone. William looked down at the Smoking Man who was gaping at his sword. The sword, which had just been in William's side, was melting. William, using his father's sword, knocked the deformed one away from his opponent.. Then without a moment of hesitation, he brought his sword down on the Smoking Man.   
As the Dark Lord died, the glow died the sword died away. All the battling came to a stop. Those in the chamber with William bowed down to him. The reign of darkness and terror was over and a new era was beginning. 


End file.
